{
  "id": 5155258,
  "title": "'Schools Must Go Beyond Academics To Ensure Student Welfare And Fight Substance Abuse': Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/schools-must-go-beyond-academics-to-ensure-student-welfare-and-fight",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T18:46:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/schools-must-go-beyond-academics-to-ensure-student-welfare-and-fight-substance-abuse-minister-mangal-prabhat-lodha"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mumbai: Skill Development and Employment Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha emphasized that educational institutions must prioritize more than just academics to ensure student welfare and combat substance abuse. Addressing an event attended by education sector representatives, Lodha encouraged schools and experts to take responsibility for students' overall development and social environment. He urged educational institutions to adopt at least one municipal school nearby and provide expert guidance for its development. Lodha suggested schools should offer monthly expert visits to adopted schools to share teaching and management practices, complementing financial assistance. He called for schools to actively participate in the 'Drug-Free Mumbai' campaign and establish a committee comprising parents, teachers, and a social organization representative to raise awareness about substance abuse among students. Lodha stressed that parents must play a significant role in preventing addiction by providing adequate time, affection, and attention to their children, actively engaging in their lives, and being counseled as part of addiction prevention efforts. He also highlighted the importance of skill development under the National Education Policy (NEP), urging students to be exposed to various skills from an early age to build confidence and respect for skilled and labor-intensive professions. Lodha emphasized that education should encompass values, culture, traditions, heritage, self-confidence, and practical knowledge, not just examinations, marks, and degrees. He noted that the education sector must adapt to changing circumstances, particularly with the advent of artificial intelligence, which is transforming education delivery and access. Lodha emphasized that a 'Viksit Bharat' should integrate India's educational heritage with modern skills, technology, and values.",
  "summary": "Mumbai: Educational institutions must look beyond academics and take greater responsibility for the overall development, well-being and social environment of students, Skill Development and Employment Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said, calling for schools and education experts to contribute to municipal schools and work collectively to keep students away from substance abuse. Speaking at an…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}